Assassin's Creed: Oath of Outlaws (AU)
by Red Stryker
Summary: Rain is an assassin in training. Unfortunately, though, he has a dilemma on his hands. The Brotherhood wants him dead because he's a magic user, and the Templars want him dead because he has assassinated the governor-mayor. With both sides against him, and no one to turn to, will Rain survive?
1. Rain Knight

**My newest story! I hope you enjoy and review!**

* * *

><p>A blade sliced through the air, slicing off a piece of Rain's sea blue hair as it flew by. He could see every detail of the knife, scarred and chipped, along with the blademaker's signature. An outlaw, just like in the bounties, froze, pistols poised in the rainy morning air. Rain had an ability to do that. Rain could freeze time. Rain could react just in time to combat the villain. Or was Rain the villain? He didn't know.<p>

All Rain knew that was there was good money in doing this, so as Rain unfroze time, he did a crisp side flip in the air over the outlaw's head. Rail's blades were right above the outlaw's head. The outlaw had no time to react as one of Rain's blades sliced open a part of his neck. Blood, dark and red, froze in time as Rain stopped time once again.

Rain then stooped over the body, one dagger in his right hand, the other stuck in the outlaw's neck. He pulled the dagger out of the neck, realizing that daggers were few and good as this one. Besides, he could wash it off at the springs. So as Rail ran from the scene, he put both daggers in their holsters and scurried up the side of the hotel's wall.

Rain ran across the rooftops of the houses as the rain pounded and the horses' clip clop of hooves spread across the city. His father had named him Rain; he loved the rain and the ocean. And Rain worked best in the rain. He had almost gained notoriety level now as the Rain Knight. The townsfolk screamed the name when another murder took place.

Rain was usually hard to see as he dressed in blue and black, blending in with the rain and the night. He was almost impossible to spot without light. A killing of his could happen in less than 15 seconds, on a good day. It could be a simple blade to the heart and run. It also could be more dangerous. For example, he could run into a Templar and get killed, since Templars have access to more advanced weapons.

It didn't matter anyways, since assassins relied mostly on simple weapons such as knives and hidden blades. Rain hated to use guns. He thought of it as cheating, and it also was loud. Rain liked to be silent and deadly. He liked to hit and run. Maybe it was cowardice, but most likely was an instinct.

Rain also didn't tell anyone this, but he also was a magic user. It was forbidden to allow a magic user into the Brotherhood, but Rain had somehow snuck by. He did know that if he was caught using magic, he would be killed on the spot. Assassins have two enemies: Templars, and "magicians", as they were called.

All of this thought ceased as Rain reached one of the Brotherhood's many secret entrances. It was a simple mechanism allowing one person to pull on a fake torch, and about a quarter-mile away, a small tunnel would open. Now, this could be obvious to people, but the hole was filled with traps and dead ends that only assassins could navigate. It was called the "labyrinth", an underground maze under the city of N`eral.

N`eral was a giant city made up of several districts. They weren't numbered, but rather named after the dominant feature of the realm. The biggest was Flare district, the most dangerous, where fires could break out at any given time. The city was definitely odd, mostly because it sat on plates that moved on a schedule. They moved on every second week of every were called "shifts". The movement was all controlled by the governor-mayor, Sir Nero.

Sir Nero had been named after emperor Nero. He relied on ether energy to survive; everybody knew that. In fact, the entire city was powered by ether energy. It was gathered from other provinces' supply, that much Rain knew. No one else knew much else.

Rain entered the hole underground, pulling out his map of the area. Rain also lit a torch, considering that it was pitch black when the hole sealed. He navigated the area slowly but surely; for after all, he was a new assassin. He cringed as a spring-loaded spike sprung near his thigh, grazing it. These traps weren't set to kill; they were set to maim.

Rain finally reached one of the many hideouts underground. He knocked out the weekly code. A voice came through a slit in the door. "Who is it?" Rain knocked out his name. "Alright, buddy come on in."

Rain stepped in, being careful not to set anything on fire with his torch. A rough sign above said,"Hideout #25". Rain was lucky enough that the hideout was close enough to the dorms. Yes, Rail took schooling here. He wasn't yet a master assassin, but an assassin in training.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading! Hopefully you enjoyed and stay tuned for more!<strong>


	2. Killers in Training

**Another chapter of Assassin's Creed: Oath of Outlaws. Remember to rate when you're done!**

* * *

><p>The day was windy and crisp. The red and orange leaves on the big oaks were blown off in huge waves. The wind took them and swirled them in a giant vortex, creating a fiery tornado that swept across the campus. One almost caught Rain's study papers as he made his way to class. He thought about his bloody daggers that he hadn't washed yet. They were starting to smell.<p>

Rain stopped at a large pond near the edge of campus. As Rain was washing his daggers, he noticed movement in the trees. An enemy? No, it couldn't be; these were campus grounds for _assassins. _Honestly, who would be dumb enough to walk in on hundreds of trained (or in training) killers?

It was just Mr. Bronze and his folk patrolling the edge of school grounds. Mr. Bronze was normally a solitary man; so it contrasted against his personality greatly when he was working with other teachers. Mr. Bronze also enjoyed torturing students mentally. Really, the amounts of homework he handed out were _agonizing. _

Rain had just finished washing his daggers when Sara, one of the freshmen, appeared to be walking straight for him. Rain didn't want to talk to her now. They had been fighting ever since a mission had gone wrong because of her. _She _was the one who gave out the target's name in the middle of an assassination, so he scolded her. Sara was really sensitive.

Although he tried his best, he couldn't avoid Sara. At least not discreetly. She walked right up to him and stood in front of him, trying to stop him. He sidestepped her and ran up the stairs to class. "Rain! I have something to say!" He ignored her. It probably wasn't anything nice.

He arrived in stealth class about 5 minutes late. Luckily, the stealth teacher, Prof. Bouston, didn't notice him come in late. It wouldn't have mattered anyways; it wasn't the teacher's fault you were late.

Rain started class with the consequence of missing about a full page of notes. As he was jotting more notes down, a silent arrow flew down from the open window at the top of the classroom and plunged right into his notes. "NO!" He screamed in horror. "It took _ages _for me to get that down!"

The entire class stopped. Everyone was staring at him oddly. "Was it something I said?" Rain guiltily said. "Get out of my class, Mr. John Doe." "But-" "OUT!" Rain hung his head. He'd payed 500 freaking yens for this class. He complied anyways, beginning to pick up his books. He yanked the arrow out of his notes, causing a colossal tear in his papers.

As Rain walked out of the classroom's doors, the bell rang. Class was over. The students all poured over the hallways, some rude ones almost knocking him over. It was then that a hand tapped on his shoulder. Who could it possibly be? Hopefully not...

It was Sara. "Rain, what was with your outburst in the middle of class?" "A freaking arrow sliced through my homework." Rain decided that he needed to be plain and simple when talking to a dummy like her. "I'm not dumb, Rain." "What do you mean?" "I know when you're lying."

How could Rain possibly be lying? What, did he just go around telling pointless lies for no reason? No, of course not. Why else would he have yelled? Was he just an incompetent troublemaker like the other half of the class?

Sara looked up at him and smiled. "I forgive you, you know." She was obviously changing the subject. "Forgive _me_? I wasn't the one who messed up." Her smile faded. "Fine then. It looks like you aren't ready to accept forgiveness, so you can go talk to some other of your preppy friends." He really wanted to hit her, but witnesses were everywhere. So Rain just pushed past her, because to him now, she was just another body in the crowd.

_Two weeks later_

Rain was blending into the crowd. He was tasked with another assassination. This one was considerably more dangerous than the last, because Rain had to take down two Templar brothers. They both were armed; double pistols were at their sides. Neither of them noticed Rain take down a comrade right behind their backs.

This time Rain had abandoned his daggers and used borrowed hidden blades from college. It wasn't raining, so naturally he wasn't at his best. It didn't matter. He would get the job done, no matter what. Rain left behind a trail of dead guards, not caring about the bodies strewn about in the open. The people could scream; it didn't matter for this mission.

He continued his hunt, this time spotting a relatively unarmoured Templar slacking off. He only had a basic chain mail chestplate with a metal spear rubbing up against his chest. He was obviously pretending to work, every two seconds going back to flirting with a maid. Rain wondered sometimes why the Templars didn't praise him for killing these useless slackers.

Thankfully, the maid left. It must've been something the man said. Something offensive? Rain didn't know. He didn't really care either. In plain sight, Rain walked up behind the man and slid out his right blade. He put it against the man's throat, and looked at the maid. "Go." That was all he needed to say as the maid nodded gratefully and left.

What had this man done to terrorize this maid? What Rain was doing was probably justice. There were corrupt Templars everywhere,and he was glad to kill them. Not that he cared about justice; he followed the Assassin Code of Honour. Every trainee and master assassin alike knew it by heart. He recited it to keep it fresh in his mind.

He brought the Templar to a corner of the city. "Here's what you get, you conceited slacker." Rain said as he drew the knife across the Templar's throat. Rain didn't usually talk to his victims, or even bring them anywhere. But this one was different. You see, Rain wasn't perfect. In fact, far from it. He often let his emotions control him, and that could be a fatal flaw.

He didn't care, though, because right now there were more important things to do than sit and think about his flaws. He could do that somewhere else. He slid the blade back in place in his sleeve, and quickly took the Templars' clothes off. He was planning to use a disguise to finish off his prey. It wouldn't be long before there were two dead Templars laying before him.


	3. Disguised

**This is reminding me more and more of Shadow Fight 2. That's probably a good thing! I'm sorry I haven't published in a while. I've been tied up a little. **

To put it frankly, Rain was buried under 5 pounds of hay. While he was stalking the Templar brothers, 4 more of those "knights" came around the corner. Rain was forced then to hide in a bunch of hay. This was _humiliating_. Rain was seriously contemplating the idea of jumping out in plain sight and fighting the Templars straight on to avoid this hay-filled humiliation. Oh, was he _ever _going to get ridiculed at the dorms...

As the Templars passed, Rain jumped out with almost insane relief. Hay was _everywhere_; in his hair, his hood, his clothes. He groaned. Getting hay in my hood is worse than killing people.

Rain thought for a moment, probably the first time in a while, about his job. It wasn't right to kill for a living. Yet, he _did _have a knack for it. Yes, he had proven to be skilled in many things like art and poetry, but fighting came so _naturally_. It was so exhilarating, going in for the kill, dodging menacing enemies, hiding from bounty hunters. Well, he hated hiding in haystacks, that was for sure.

Rain scurried up a brick building's wall to jump on top of a spare crossbeam. From there, he jumped off of the beam onto the wall, using it as leverage to push off. He sailed over the heads of the Templars, putting his lips up to civilians to make them silent. Rain and the civilians, although not having much in common, both shared one thing: they both hated the Templars. They took babies away, they murdered men and abused families. They needed to be killed. Suddenly Rain's regrets about killing them off stopped.

He embraced the impact of the rooftops by rolling right on. Rain had reached the end of the boulevard, so he jumped onto the trees near the edge of the street. He was _so _glad that the Academy had taught him the art of parkour when they did. He would have never succeeded without it. That was another thing Rain was good at.

Rain never really knew about his origins. He had been tricked; his mother and father didn't inform him about him being adopted until age 16. That was when he had ran away from home. He set out to find his real parents. Rain realized now how pointless that was. His real parents turned out to be magic users, so they were executed right in front of him before anything could be done. Out of pure anger, he froze time and killed _every single guard_ in cold blood.

Rain didn't even know he could use magic. It could be helpful, though, he thought. When an assassin saw what he had done, somehow he didn't notice that Rain had used magic to dispatch the guards. He told the council, and they took him in. Maybe the man _did _notice, maybe he just had pity for him.

Rain was letting his thoughts get the best of him again. That was a _terrible_ habit of his. He shook his head and moved on. He couldn't believe his eyes! The brothers were splitting up. This made it much, _much_, easier. The brothers took left and right turns. Rain instinctively selected the less armoured one, the Templar on the right.

Stalking him behind bushes, Rain readied his shurikens. He liked to be multicultural in his weapon choices. Positioning himself directly beside the Templar, yet covered by the bush, Rain let a star fly. In slow motion, the shuriken pierced just above the jugular. Rain was even impressed with his own work. From a side position, it was pretty hard to get a jugular. He turned a 180 and sprinted back to where the other brother was strolling leisurely.

Rain hid behind a bush and changed into the uniform that he had stolen from one of the other corrupt Templars. He cursed under his breath when he found a blood stain. Oh, why did he let his emotions take his mind? Why couldn't he have thought practically, to snap the Templar's neck so there was no bloody mess? He'd just have to deal with it.

Rain entered in his new red and white uniform, complete with polished boots and golden buttons stiched tightly to his overcoat. The uniform had everything: badges, a white- well, actually blood-stained handkerchief, and an inner jumper and white trousers. He felt blasphemous even wearing the bloody thing.

Disguise was a risky practice. Unlike stealth, there were a great number of ways to meet your end. You could be mistaken for a Templar by another assassin. Or, you could be discovered, and killed. But this Templar needed this. It was simply too tricky to stealth-kill this one. He was fairly heavily armoured, and had guns at his sides. A giant long sword was perched at his flanks, too. The only open area was his back and neck, which had little armor.

His back was risky, though. He _did_ have basic chain mail armour across his back, something that shurikens couldn't get through. The only option, then, was his neck. And the only way to get to his neck was disguise, unless he wanted a fight, which wasn't his style.

Noticing that the Templar was entering a restaurant, Rain decided to make his move. This was going to be good.


	4. Dining with death

**Quick author's note: Again, sorry for the delays! I hope you enjoy this new chapter- (and yes, it's action-filled :P)**

* * *

><p>The smell of the Templar's colonge was overpowering.<p>

In the Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénéé, the man wasn't that hard to dine with once you flashed the Templar badge. He was a pudgy man, plump and short, with a stubble beard and a thick British accent. He obviously was very rich, too, considering he ordered a seven-course meal with red wine. Rain could barely scrounge up his _own _money for this meal.

He had to admit though, the food was superb. The steak was perfectly seasoned, and the wine aged just right. He made plenty of small talk with the man about the way things were, and how the city's next shift would be in three days. N` eral was mostly a French city, with the outskirts being British and the very minority being Japanese.

As they ate, the man started to delve into some deep questions about the Templar duties, which Rain knew little about. He had to change the subject, fast- or risk getting discovered. Not only would he have to fight his way out, for this was a popular place for Templars to dine, but he would waste his food he paid 100 units for.

Rain subtlety switched the topic to despising those magic-using dogs. It hurt a lot, but Rain had experience with this subject through all the prejudice and discrimination the magic-users received.

"Those good-for-nothing bags of dirt can die off, for all I care!"

The man obnoxiously blurted out. Rain forced a laugh to agree. He discreetly tucked in the blood stained handkerchief from before.

"What is that you're tuckin' in, mate?"

Rain flashed his signature smile.

"Just a trinket I keep with me."

"What's it look like?" The man gurgled, barely able to talk from the wine.

"I-I keep it private."

"Then why 'ya wear it in public?"

"Good luck charm."

The man's beady eyes scrunched up even further.

"You're hidin' some'in, dunno what." The drunken Templar said, barely aware that he was awake.

_It would have been so easy to poison this drunk. _Rain thought. _But it would take too long. _

The intoxicated Templar, out of drunken stupor, blurted out, _"_That magic-usin' lass was lucky to die with 'er husband, if'n she didn't, those magic-usin' dogs would've fried the whole quarter."

Rain stopped and stared right into those man's eyes. Those beady, half-closed, drunk eyes that only fat pigs can achieve. This cur was obviously talking about his mother. Rain refrained from plunging his hidden blades right into the pig's throat right then and there. _Remember, Rain. Do not let your emotions control you_.

The drunken idiot was obviously too stupid to notice Rain's little outburst. So this is what the Templars act like. This is how morally corrupt the "soldiers" were. Rain was just starting to regain some respect for the Templars when he'd seen the restaurant. How wrong could he be?

"Gimme that, you bloody old fool!" Suddenly, the Templar's hand shot up from his apparent sleep to snatch the handkercheif right out of Rain's jacket. Of course. He'd been caught off-guard.

"Spilt a bit o' wine on yer hankie, didya?"

A wave of relief filled Rain. Right. He was too drunk to notice.

Another Templar, this one well dressed, with polished boots and a curled moustache, walked evenly up to the drunken pig.

"Stop making a fool of yourself, Anton." He harshly whispered, pulling the man by his ear roughly towards the parlour. After that was done, the man turned on his heel and halted about an inch from Rain's face. He could see his own reflection in the soldier's monocle.

The soldier held up a gloved hand, the bloody handkerchief in tow.

"You should have a good reason for allowing this to stain my gloves."

"It- I..."

"Exactly." The soldier peered down at him.

"Who's blood?"

Rain was caught red-handed. Possibly.

"M-my own. I had a nosebleed when this drunk hit me." Rain pretend angrily stated, pointing to the now sleeping Templar.

The soldier had a sudden change of heart.

"Oh, Anton. Please forgive me for my foolish brother and his antics. He doesn't mean any harm."

Rain let out an internal sigh of relief. Then, he paused. Wait, his brother?

"Uh, excuse me, but did you say that Anton was your brother?"

"Yes. I know we don't look anything alike, but..."

Everything else that he said was blurred out by Rain's thoughts. I couldn't have assassinated the wrong person, could I? I could swear they were brothers. Maybe there were three brothers. Maybe more. But wouldn't the Academy want him to kill all three?

Once the Templar was finished speaking, he poured the vile poison into a vodka cocktail.

"Give this to Anton. It will help his hang over."

The soldier met his eyes and smiled. A big, crinkly grin. The kind you get from genuine amusement.

"Thank you."

Rain watched as the soldier made Anton drink every last drop.

Rain's hands bursted into magical flames. The soldier turned around to see a magic-user, making an attempt to draw his sword.

"FUS RO DAH!"

A blast of blue energy erupted from Rain's throat as the shockwave slammed into the soldier, sending him crashing into a wall.

Rain tried to bolt out of the restaurant, but a couple of self-righteous soldiers blocked his path.

"Your miserable life ends now, scum!"

Sending a flying kick into the guards' stomach, Rain bounced onto a ceiling beam and looked for an exit. He needed one, now.

"Blast 'em to bits, boys!" Was all Rain heard as the thick smell of gunpowder filled the air.

If Rain didn't flee now, he would have a giant hole in his body. Staring at the ceiling, he had a bright idea. It was risky, but it was his last resort. Letting the blue flames engulf his hands once again, he let the blue flames from each hand fuse with one another. The fire intertwined, thread by thread, lacing into every string of fire.

A small blue ball formed in his hands, at first flickering, but steadily growing with every second. Rain wasn't sure that he had those few seconds, as the guards cocked their rifles.

"BLOW DOWN THE HOUSE!"

Rain closed his eyes, and let the ball go as the spray of bullets tore apart the wooden ceiling.


	5. Afterlife

**Someone important dies in this chapter! (It's pretty obvious). **

Rain's hand, among many others, stuck up from the rubble of the building. Even though the bullets didn't kill him, the crashing rooftops did. The governor-mayor looked down with distaste at Rain's outstretched hand.

"Filthy rat. Well, we won't have to waste an axe on him."

The soldiers tried not to gape in surprise as the governor-mayor looked over the rest of the rubble. The governor-mayor rarely spoke; and when he did, it usually didn't concern assassins. It wasn't hard to pretend they didn't exist, considering they were such a secretive group.

"What a waste of a good restaurant. That sure racked in the units."

The governor-mayor's metal exoskeleton whirred with ether, crackling blue and green. The man wore a massive violet cloak, covering his mechanical tubes running all over his back. The gauntlets had little blue lines running through. These were ether runners, supplying the much-needed energy to power the goveror-mayor. Unlike normal humans who ran on food and nutrients, the governor-mayor relied on ether energy to boost his systems.

"Search every nook and cranny for survivors."

That was all the man needed to say as he briskly trodded away from the mess. A squad of about 20 men searched the wreck for important figures or survivors. A circle of 10 troops stood around the governor-mayor as he walked to the carriage.

It was only when five men were left standing when the governor-mayor noticed. The other downed five had needles rammed into their necks. The remaining troops formed a protective semi-circle barrier to protect the governor-mayor. All of the men fell over dead, with the same needles each stabbed in the same spot.

The governor-mayor drew his ether long sword.

"Whatever filthy assassin is out there, come out."

A man dressed in a silk purple hood walked out from the rubble. He bore two mini-axes.

"Filthy assassin?" The man called out.

The governor-mayor jabbed his sword half-heartedly at the assassin. The assassin, parrying the blow, spun clockwise and caught the governor-mayor in the jaw. The governor-mayor took a few steps back, his head recoiling from the strike. Blood stained his violet cloak from his jaw. The governor-mayor smiled.

"So that's how you want it."

He tore off his cloak, revealing all of the machinery to keep him alive. Using both hands, he swung his longsword three times at the assassin, each time missing. The assassin swung his battleaxes fiercely, just missing the top of the governor-mayor's head. He laughed and smashed his metal foot into the assassin's stomach.

The assassin was sent sprawling back into some broken piece of roof, landing harshly on the ground. He clenched his axes, and threw one full-force at the governor-mayor. Although the axe throw was impossibly fast, the governor-mayor somehow blocked it with the edge of his sword, sending blue sparks flying into the air. He made a dash at the asssassin, making an almost 90 degree slash horizontally at the assassin. The assassin backflipped gracefully out of the way. The assassin sprinted at the broken piece of roof.

"What are you doing?" The governor-mayor asked. Jumping onto the governor-mayor? Suicide!

The asssassin hit the broken roof, frontflipping skillfully over his head. Correction: Jumping _over _the governor-mayor, not _on_ him. The governor-mayor made a stab upwards, yet to no avail. When the assassin landed, he made a spinning 180 degree slash, slicing open all the governor-mayor's machine valves.

The assassin jumped out of the way just as the governor-mayor exploded with ether. The governor-mayor fell violently to the ground, a mixture of blood and ether splashing out for everyone to see.

The governor-mayor was dead.

_**Rain's Afterlife**_

_Everything was blindingly white as Rain entered what he called heaven. It couldn't be heaven, he thought. You can't feel pain in heaven. _

_"Where am I?" He shouted into space. Rain was floating in the middle of nowhere, frozen in space and time._

_"You're dead." A voice rang out, apparently from all directions. _

_"Thought so." _

_The voice laughed, a big, hearty one, the one you might expect from grandfathers. "You... accept death?" _

_"What other choice is there?" _

_The voice paused for a moment, probably thinking over what he last said. _

_"Are you... God?" Rain asked, flat-out curious if he'd reached heaven. _

_The laugh echoed even louder this time, vibrating space. _

_"No, unfortunately. But I am giving you a god-like choice." _

_Rain was slightly disappointed that he hadn't met God. He was very religious, praying to God every night before bed, and after every assassination. _

_"What's the choice?"_

_"Choose one, and choose carefully: float indefinitely in space and time in the state you are now, or revive back on Earth." _

_It shouldn't have been a hard choice for Rain, but he considered it. Compared to the ugly world out there, floating indefinitely might not be so bad. _

_"What's the catch?" _

_"To living again on Earth?"_

_"Yes, what else could I have meant?"_

_The voice turned to a slightly annoyed tone, as if Rain's sharp reply had angered him. _

_"You know, I could just leave you floating out here, forever, tormented by all the souls you took."_

_"Sorry. Now, what's the catch?" _

_"The catch is that you must work for a faction of outlaws."_

_"What! I-"_

_"Just shut up for a second! Erm, I mean, be silent for a moment as I explain this to you!" _

_Rain suddenly was suspicious of who exactly this voice was. It was a sudden drop in character from the booming, majestic voice from the start. _

_"You see, the Rebel faction needs your help."_

_"_My _help?" _

_"Yes. You would be a great help to us. The brotherhood wants you dead because of the killing of the governor-mayor anyways."_

_"Aren't I already dead?"_

_"Not completely." _

_"You said I was dead!"_

_"You see, when a magic user dies, it's a little different from non-magic users. Magic users don't completely die. Yes, their body may stop working, but their ether doesn't. The ether is what runs your magic, by the way. When you die, your soul combines with your ether to form a shadow. The shadow versions then come here, which is called Limbo. Then necromancers, like myself, can bring you back to life." _

_This all was hard to take in. But the necromancer had explained all of his questions. _

_"So, the governor-mayor is dead? I didn't kill him."_

_"Yes, the governor-mayor is deceased. And you didn't kill him? Whatever. So what do you pick?"_

_Rain swallowed, and truly wondered if he was making the best choice. _

_"Okay, I'll join the Rebels." _

_"REALLY? Ah, I mean, alright. I knew you would! You just have to do one tiny thing: Recite the Oath of Outlaws. Then you're in!" _

_"Let me hear the oath." _


	6. The Test

_"Alright! The oath goes like this. Repeat after me." _The necromancer's voice was very eager and excited. Rain was getting more and more the impression that this was a teenager, and not a god.

_"I, the member of the band of outlaws, The Rebels, do desire to keep all members safe. I will not trick, deceive, lie, slander, or betray the faction in any way, shape, or form. I will do anything it takes, even my own life, to protect and uphold these rules. I will also protect the band leader with my life. The ruler has full control over me and any other group member. I promise not to be in any association with the Brotherhood or the Templars. I swear not, under any circumstances, to give away the location of the hideouts of the faction. I accept full responsibility for my actions, and any consequences I shall accept. I swear, on my life, never to break the Oath. If I do, I have truly strayed from the path of freedom and glory, and should be exiled. This is what I promise." _

Rain had never thought that outlaws were so solemn, but it was his ticket out of here. So, reciting every single word, the white frozen world began to shake and crack. Rain was almost finished reciting the sixth line when a giant crack tore across the sky. He paused for a moment.

"_Don't stop! Once you begin reciting, you can't stop in the middle of it!"_

With those words of advice, Rain ignored the tremors and the cracks and finished the Oath. With the final word, "promise", he felt a sudden jolt and was woken back into reality. Like when you have a dream, and someone wakes you up. Rain got up with a huge start that almost knocked over the necromancer.

"Watch it!"

He looked up and spotted a girl about his age standing before him. She was wearing a pink jumper over a cherry-red blouse, so she looked nothing like the necromancer he imagined. She had glasses, with an aviation-style twist, over her head, and a wand in her right hand. Also, she had black hair with strategically placed red strips, with a long ponytail along her back.

"OH MY GOSH! I ACTUALLY REVIVED SOMEONE!" She bursted.

"What's your name?" Rain asked in a kind of uncomfortable tone.

"Audrey."

"Mine's-"

"We _all _know, Rain Knight!" She giggled as she said "Rain Knight".

"Yeah... Uh, just call me Rain."

"Okay, Rain Knight."

He knew immediately that he would dislike this girl. But he _did _owe her.

"I, ah, I owe you one." Trying to be casual, he laughed as he said it. Casual _really_ wasn't his thing, though. Spending a good amount of time killing for a living, he wasn't used to talking with people. He was _such _an introvert.

"Well, Rain, you're in. You just need to pass the final tests to _officially _be in."

"What? I thought I was 'officially' in when I said the Oath!"

"Well, no. You have to be _officially _officially in."

Grabbing his arm, she pulled him over to some eight foot tall marble doors. She motioned at him to open the doors. _Well, if _she _could do it, I can do it. How'd they even accept her anyways? How could she be an outlaw? _

Shoving Rain in, Audrey heaved and pulled at the marble doors. He kicked at them, and he could hear Audrey on the other side fall over. He tried to stifle his laughter. Still chuckling, he looked over at his 'test'. And suddenly he stopped laughing.

At least a 500-foot drop. With only thin, 2x1 platforms to jump onto. They didn't look stable, either. Rain gulped. _How did she do this? _

_Audrey POV _

Audrey leaned against the door, sighing with relief. They _finally _had the Rain Knight on their side. She was worried that he might be tasked to assassinate her, due to her dark magic capabilities. He would _surely _pass those tests. The tests changed every time, for individual skills and personalities.

Her test was to blast target Templars while being chained to the ceiling. It wasn't hard; it came naturally to her. She remembered being so nervous and afraid. She thought it would be _way _tougher. The thing was, the more skilled you were, the tougher it was. Did that mean she had no skill?

_Rain's test is probably next to impossible with all of his skill. _She honestly hoped that he didn't die trying. _That would be _funny, she thought. Dying right after you're revived. Every one in 3 people, she had calculated, die attempting their test. _Doesn't that defeat the purpose of recruiting them? _She thought. Audrey was sure Rain would be fine.

People might mistake her for a dumb preppy girl, but she was a _terror _on the battlefield. If she concentrated, she could turn someone inside out. She's done it before. Rain might rival her, though. She had just received word that Rain was a magic-user, so he could _possibly _match up second. In a hand-to-hand fight, though, she would be dead.

Walking down the stone halls, she wondered if Rain really _did _assassinate the governor-mayor. People accused him, but didn't he die before that happened? The city _still _turned on him, though, and now the Templars put his name on the most wanted list. Numero uno. Since he took down the building with magic, the Brotherhood also wants his head. _Good thing we took him in! _

Audrey arrived at the ruler's throne. Kneeling down on the cushions provided, she received permission from him to speak.

"Lord Silverstroke, Rain is completing his Test now. We all hope he makes the cut."

Lord Silverstroke had a grey beard, shaven to a stubble. His hair was, as always, a buzz cut. A grey metal eyepatch was placed over his left eye. A red scar ran from the bottom-right corner of the eyepatch to his lower jawbone. No one knew were the scar came from. Silverstroke also wore steel armour, covered head to toe. On his metal lap was his scythe, the Devourer of Souls.

His scythe had a mind of its own, glowing a slight yet bloody red when hungry. Silverstroke fed it by killing the strong of heart. Usually the slaves, but one time Silverstroke was desparate. There were no slaves, due to the plague that went around, killing off the slaves. The Devourer of Souls was starving, so he ordered his closest companion and friend, Jack Amberstol, to his throne. Jack had the strongest of strong souls, and never thought his friend would turn on him. The Devourer of Souls was fed fully that day.

Even though they had more captured and slaves then ever, everyone still feared Silverstroke. You just couldn't trust him. You couldn't tell if he had murdered someone, either, for his scythe left no mark. It just sliced through your body, not damaging any flesh, but stealing the entire soul. It then absorbs them to become even more powerful.

"Audrey, milady. Please walk over to the throne."

Suddenly a cold sweat broke over Audrey. _It couldn't be, could it? _Holding her breath, she walked over to the throne and waited for the strike.


	7. Invasion

**So yeah, warning: This chapter is fairly violent, and kind of a change from the fairly light action- violence I've posted so far. 12+. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Realizing that the doors were locked, Rain kicked at them in frustration. Not even a scuff. Looking about the room, he noted that there was no other exit other than the one on the other side of the chamber. He'd have to use parkour to his advantage if he wished to live. If the drop wasn't appealing, he <em>could <em>just starve to death. That would be pretty embarrassing, though.

So, he picked option number one. Analyzing the terrain very carefully, Rain used another one of his skills, the Eagle Eye he called it. He had honed it so precisely that when he 'tapped' into it, he could make out the tiny flakes of mismatched stone on the opposite door, about a league from where he was standing.

Using Eagle Eye, he noted that he couldn't stay on a platform too long, or else his weight would bring down the platform. He would have to act very fast, and be perfect in his jumps if he wanted to get out of here. And that was what he was trained for.

_Audrey POV_

Even though she'd been expecting it, the strike of death never came. In fact, Silverstroke laughed heartily at Audrey's cringing. With the laughter dying down, he reached for a glass of water sitting on a nearby table. After downing the entire thing, he chuckled.

"Oh, my Audrey. Do you _really _think I would've killed one as valuable as _you_? Now, I may be getting old, but I'm not stupid."

Looking up at him, Audrey saw Sliverstroke place his scythe into his compartment in the wall. The molding fit the scythe perfectly, and it slid back into the wall without a further notice.

"Your soul may be strong, my Audrey, but the Devourer of Souls has plenty to eat."

"I apologize, master. I won't do it again."

Silverstroke sat back down in his chair wearily, and motioned for a guard.

"Check the outer walls for raiders. Bring about four or five men with you."

The guard briskly saluted, and crisply turned 180 degrees, red plumage bobbing. It was really a comical sight. Marching _much _too exaggerated, his spear almost caught another guard in the helmet. He clumisly assembled a team to accompany him, and they exited out the secret entrance.

"What a bunch of fools. I sometimes wonder why I hired them." Silverstroke grumbled, looking over at Audrey. "Go ahead and study."

"I've completed the course. I came here to inform you."

His grey eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Not only a fighter, but an academic, too? My dear Audrey, you _are _a gem."

Audrey beamed with contentment. She loved being praised.

Silverstroke suddenly jumped. An explosion blasted out from above, and a giant piece of rubble almost hit her. She mechanically pulled out her wand and pointed it at the boulder. For a moment, the boulder flashed with black energy, then it exploded into a million pieces. A light gravel shower fell over her dyed hair.

_Someone's broken in. _

_Rain POV_

Running at a sprint, he leaped over the cliff to meet the first obstacle. He could feel the give under his feet as the platform fell. Luckily, he had already made it to the third platform before that happened. Vaulting off of the pole that held the platform, he landed gracefully on his feet on the fourth platform.

It began to get harder, with decoy platforms, spiked walls, and arrow traps. Luckily, though, he didn't need magic to detect traps. Dodging an arrow just as it grazed his cheek, he almost made a jump to a wall when he noticed the razor-sharp spikes generously placed along the side. It began to get even _harder_, computer-generated fighters attacking him.

A group of about five or six rapidly approached him. He used the first one's face as leverage to smash his foot into the second, causing it to knock over the third. His fist went through the fourth's face, and he snapped the fifth's neck, all while jumping and leaping from the platforms.

Every time you defeated the artificial enemies, they would break apart into pixels, sending sprays of code across the room. Their AI was obviously programmed much too low, because he could dispatch them like flies. The end of the obstacle course neared. He could do this!

While Rain was nearing the end, a being began to come into existence, built from pixels floating around the area. Pixel by pixel revealed this shocking monster: a compound bow on its back, with a phantom blade on both underarms and twin poison daggers. Things didn't seem too easy now.

Barely dodging one phantom blade shot, jumped off of the final platform to the ground. The final test: A heavily armoured enemy. Rain wasn't used to fighting head-on, and a program with armour! He suddenly cursed at this whole system for analyzing his weakness. _But cursing won't do anything. _

The program drew the massive compound bow, the arrow red with lasers. If it hit, Rain might not even notice. That's how painless it was. He probably would keep fighting for minutes before realizing he'd been hit. So, being _extra _careful, he used his magic to freeze time. Or tried. The moment his hand caught magic flame, it sparked violently and the fire was extinguished.

Holding his hand in pain, Rain looked up at the program. It walked emotionlessly towards him, bearing the daggers. Only then Rain realized that it was _himself _this was portraying. Cold, emotionless, armoured. If he'd been a Templar, this probably would be _exactly _what he would look like.

It made a swipe it his arm with one dagger. Swiftly dodging it, he tried to punch an unarmoured part, the neck. It was too fast, though. Catching his arm mid-punch, it kneed him savagely in the stomach. Laying on the ground, he rolled out of the way when the program decided to try to stomp on him.

Getting back up to his feet, Rain faked a punch to the head and made a cruel throat punch. Part of its throat blasted into tiny particles. The program flinched, and that was when Rain went full-out, punching, kicking, kneeing, and elbowing. About a third of his hits registered. The rest either bounced off of armour or was blocked.

Wheezing from the frenzy, he gave one final, powerful axe-kick into the program's stomach, sending it smashing into the wall. Suddenly, the roof exploded. _Is this part of the test? If it is, this test is just plain cruel. _Rain, too tired to fight, only blocked the soldier's punches, (who dropped from the ceiling) and didn't pay too much attention to them. It didn't take much to land a punch right on his jaw, flooring him.

Everything was blurry, but he could make out the image of a soldier walking straight for him. He wanted, no, _needed _to fight, but he was just too exhasuted. A sharp kick smashed into his stomach, sending him into the marble wall. A flurry of metal-gloved punches and kicks from multiple soldiers knocked him out like a light.


End file.
